Stranded by nature: Kedarnath to Kathmandu

Great ideas or immense guilt dont let you sleep at night but Ektaa Patel not really an insomniac until the summer of 2013 had discovered a third reason She was in the throes of PostTraumatic Stress Disorder PTSD after having hoodwinked death in the Uttarakhand floods that claimed over 5000 lives These days Patel may still not be sleeping well but thats only because her debut book on the ordeal Gauri Kund 15 km is days away from launchStranded Indian pilgrims wait to be rescued on the side of a river at Govind Ghat on June 23 2013 Bad weather hampered rescue operations and over 5000 people were presumed dead and landslides and flash floods left pilgrims and tourists stranded without food or water PicAFPFollowing news reports of ongoing rescue operations in Nepal from her home in Vile Parle Patel cannot help the goosebumps A June before the last on her way down from Kedarnath temple the highest point of the popular Char Dham four temple yatra she along with her parents sister and four more companions were stranded for five days When you are at a ravaged spot of a mountain the path ahead washed away without food or water and witnessing other people die you either lose hope in God or find strength from an unexpected space within you she opens upEktaa Patel right with her sister Jasmina and father Rajni near Kedarnath temple a day before their ordeal beganGauri Kund revisitedOn June 16 2013 30yearold Patel and her family decided to trek down from Kedarnath despite incessant rains They dodged landslides treefalls and escaped being pulled away in gushing water to arrive at a milestone stating Gauri Kund 15 km Looking back I feel plain lucky to have made several decisions in split seconds that eventually saved us Patel feels crediting God Canadian writer Malcolm Gladwell author of Blink would be proudStranded Indian pilgrims make their way down a mountain after a section of road was washed away in Govind Ghat on June 23 2013 Bad weather hampered rescue operations in northern India where up to 1000 people were feared dead in landslides and flash floods left pilgrims and tourists stranded without food or water PICAFPBut sometimes the survivors trauma which can go on for days after the calamity can be painful and thats worse than quick death Patel says narrating how Gauri Kund 15 km was the stage where the morbid dramas final act played out There were over a thousand of us that close to the base but with no road ahead and out of the militarys sight because of dense treeshellip imagine the panic she wincesHaving led welloff comfortable city lives Patel and her family realised the vitality of the basics mdash food drops of water a borrowed blanket a painkilling pill and a tiny bar of signal on a phone with dying battery Just a call with my family invigorated me made me believe well pass through this unscathed because someone was waiting and praying for us she saysRescue operations around Kedarnath by locals and the Indian governmentWhen help camehellipMilitary help after about 50 to 70 hours only arrived in the form of airdropped packets of food and water barely any of which reached the family Most of them would get washed away or get stuck in bushes the ones which landed would get crushed she says adding that desperation would get the better of her cosurvivors and theyd even eat soiled food I stayed on a couple of biscuits for four days The water from streams was undrinkable as it was feared to be contaminated by dead bodies upstream says Patel Of those who still drank it some came down with diarrhoea while others lost their livesShe has also spoken of oodles of inexplicable kindness Sometimes a complete stranger would offer us food or connect us to a call We owe our lives to several nobodies who helped us Patel reflectsOn day five Patels helicopter ride back to Gauri Kund took just a few minutes but it took her weeks of meditation to return to emotional safety Her compulsive scrapbook habit helped her piece together her debut book which took eight months while her companions salvaged video clips now make for a compelling promo film for itGiving backIts their turn to play angel now the Patels believe They have dispatched 1500 theplas medicines and tea packets for Nepals quake survivors I hope nobody is still awaiting rescue but if they are even half a thepla would feel like a gold brick to them reflects PatelGauri Kund 15 km Ektaa Patel English Gujarati and Marathi Notion Press English Image Publications Gujarati 220 Available on all major online stores soon